"?160,000 → ?5,000,000" Shocking Im Young-woong Concert Scalping Tickets

Sharp Increase in Ticket Scalping Reports... 359 Cases to 4,224
Only Offline Punishments?… Online Sanctions Remain a Blind Spot

Tickets for singer Lim Young-woong's nationwide tour concerts are being sold on secondhand trading sites for up to 30 times their original price, raising concerns about ticket scalping in the popular culture sector and prompting calls for solutions.

On the 17th, Ryu Ho-jeong, a lawmaker from the Justice Party, demanded solutions to the lax operation of the ticket scalping reporting center during the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) audit. Ryu stated, "Ticket scalping for concerts, including Lim Young-woong's, is at least double the original price, with expensive seats going up to 30 times, and some tickets selling for over 5 million won each. Although KOCCA runs anti-scalping campaigns and operates a ticket scalping reporting center, nothing has changed," she criticized.

The most expensive VIP seat ticket for Lim Young-woong's concert originally costs 165,000 won, but scalped tickets are reportedly traded for about 3 million won on secondhand trading sites. In response, Lim Young-woong's agency, Mulgogi Music, has announced a strong stance against the rampant scalping activities.

Ryu said, "Reports submitted to the ticket scalping reporting center have been increasing day by day, but no proper actions have been taken so far." According to data submitted by KOCCA to Ryu's office, ticket scalping reports were ▲359 cases in 2020 ▲785 cases in 2021 ▲4,224 cases in 2022, showing a rapid increase each year. In particular, the number of reports in 2022 increased 11.7 times compared to 2020.

While sellers of scalped tickets are punished under the Minor Offenses Act, there is virtually no law to punish buyers. Sellers face fines of up to 200,000 won, detention, or penalties, but most cases result only in fines.

Kim Eun-bae, former head of the International Crime Investigation Team at Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, explained on MBN's 'Pressroom,' "Buyers of scalped tickets cannot be punished, but sellers are subject to summary judgment under the Minor Offenses Act. Usually, the fine is 200,000 won, but if the offense is serious or the seller shows no remorse, they can receive detention for less than 30 days."

Moreover, current laws on ticket scalping penalties apply only offline. Article 3 of the Minor Offenses Act punishes "those who sell tickets at a premium at entertainment venues, stadiums, stations, ferry terminals, bus stops, etc.," so there is no way to regulate online transactions. A bill to amend the Minor Offenses Act to punish illegal online scalping has been proposed in the National Assembly but is currently pending in the relevant standing committee.